Fiat justitia, ruat coelum.

Title IX screensThe Hunting Ground

Photo courtesy of cloudfront.net | Xavier’s Title IX office will screen The Hunting Ground in the Arrupe Overlook.

With one in five women sexual assaulted and one in 71 men, rape has become a continuing conversation on Xavier’s campus.

Xavier’s Title IX office will be screening the documentary film The Hunting Ground on Sept. 22 as a follow-up to the themes discussed in Slut Shaming, which was produced earlier this year.

Slut Shaming, which kicked off the season for Xavier Theatre, was a stimulating piece by local playwright Trey Tatum that intended to evoke strong feelings about sexual assault and rape.

After the show, audience members were able stay for a discussion talk-back with members of the Title IX office about some of the issues mentioned in the show.

More than half the students who attended the event, 282 out of 562, stayed afterwards to discuss issues surrounding sexual assault on campus, further opening the conversation.

In the 2012-2013 school year, there were seven reports of sexual assault by students on campus.

By the 2015-2016 school year, that number had risen to 78 reports.

This increase in reports is actually a step in the right direction according to Kate Lawson, chief title IX officer.

The Cincinnati Enquirer has entered the conversation and will be holding four days of discussion about the impacts sexual assault has on its victims.

The Enquirer held their first discussion on Sept. 12 with 10 Xavier students and revolved around the rape culture ingrained in society and how to stop it.

By continuing the conversation with works such as Slut Shaming and The Hunting Ground, and media attention, students will be able to identify toxic situations and find the resources they need for help.

Students are reminded that confidential resources and mandatory reporters are present on campus, both in the Title IX office and in classrooms.